The city was home to Founding Fathers like George Washington. It was where they laid the groundwork for America’s form of governance. After the Treaty of Paris in 1883 and the sovereignty of the U.S recognized, British troops left NYC.
First-time visitors often lose track of how many historic sites there are to visit in NYC. There are 116 National Historic Landmarks( NHLs) in New York City. Before Washington DC, New York was the first capital city of the United States.
Empire State Building
The 102-story art deco was built from 1930 to 1931. Designed by Lamb, Shreve, and Harmon, the Empire State Building, was the tallest building till 2012 after initially being dethroned by World Trade Center, which collapsed in 2001.
The skyscraper has two popular decks that attract millions of tourists to get a 360-degree view of New York City. The NYC historic site is known worldwide and featured in movies like How I met your mother, King Kong, and more.
Statue of Liberty
The story of the Statue of Liberty dates back to 1865 when the American Civil War ended; French historian Edouard de Laboulaye proposed France build a statue and give it to the United States to commemorate the friendship between the people of the two nations.
The sculpture was created by French sculptor Frederic-Auguste Bartholdi and gifted to the United States in 1886. The statue is visited by millions and is considered a symbol of American pride and freedom.
The Statue of Liberty is located on Ellis Island and visitors can tour the museum, gift shop, and enjoy the NYC skyline from the island.
Grand Central Station
Also known as Grand Central Terminal (GCT) is a commuter rail terminal located at 42nd Street and Park Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, NYC. Since New York City’s growth in the 1800s, Grand Terminal has become the best long-distance transportation means for travelers into the city.
In this 1913 historical marvel, you can find over twenty restaurants, casual eateries, and cocktail lounges throughout the concourse. The most stunning and well-recognized aspect of Grand Central Terminal is its hall. Vanderbilt Hall is the entrance area and has over 12,000 square feet of space. Apart from its size, it is worthwhile looking at the decoration and ceiling.
Federal Hall
Federal Hall was first completed in 1703 as City Hall, the current Greek-revival style building. In 1789, Federal Hall became the seat of the first Congress from which the new name emerged.
George Washington was inaugurated as the first president of the United States in New York’s Federal Hall. Currently, the hall is home to a small museum that explains the history of its construction and the items it contains, like the bible used to swear in George Washington. People can visit the historic building at its information center.
Museums in NYC
Tenement museum
Tenement museum blends with other buildings on the Lower East Side. The building housed thousands of immigrants between 1860 and 1930. It is a reminder of immigrants’ way of life that has helped shape the culture of New York dwellers.
National 9/11Memorial museum
The National September 11 Memorial Museum was built in remembrance and to honor those killed in the terrorist attack. The primary attribute is to the 3,000 victims in 2001 and the six in the 1993 bombing.
The one-arce pools are engraved with bronze panels of the victims’ names. Inside the museum are historic remains from the World Trade Center, including; mangled steel beams, plane parts, and what came to be known as the Survivor’s Stairs – a staircase that survived the impact of the building’s collapse and provided an exit for hundreds of survivors who fled the building.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Opened in 1872, the museum is the largest in the country and houses over 2 million pieces of permanent collections. Some pieces you should check out in The Met include; the Egyptian art collection, like the ancient Temple of Dendur, built in Egypt around 15 B.C.
Others include; “Bridge Over a Pond of Water Lilies” by Claude Monet, “Washington Crossing the Delaware” by Emanuel Leutze, and “The Dance Class” by Edgar Degas.
The Museum of Modern Art( MoMA)
This museum was the first one devoted to the modern era. Founded in 1929, it’s located in midtown Manhattan, housing various collections including over 15,000 paintings, 300.000 books, 22,000 films, and four million still films.
Some interesting collection highlights include Claude Monet’s Water Lilies, Vincent van Gogh’s The Starry Night, and Pablo Picasso’s Les Demoiselles d’Avignon, along with more recent works by Andy Warhol, Elizabeth Murray, Cindy Sherman, and many others.
Visit Historic Sites in NYC
NYC offers spectacular historical sites with meaningful histories like the Statue of Liberty and great museums that pass-down arts & collections that tell stories. Some of the historic sites we did not mention include the second oldest bar in NYC, where you can order a meal before or after taking a tour in New York City. Learn more about the things to do in the West Village neighborhood.